Buckle.



No. 804,470. 4 PATBNTED NOV. 14, 1905. H. K. VOM HOPE. BUCKLE.

F APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1904. r 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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www Wm 0M@ No. 804,470. PATENTED NOV.. 14, 1905. H. K. VOM HFE.

BUCKLE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 29,1904.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HORST KALAU VOM I-IOFE, OF BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY.

BUCKLE..

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application iled July 29, 1904. Serial No. 218,724.

lo all 1,071,071?, 7175 pta/y concern:

Be it known that I, HoRsT KALAU VOM Horn, a major in the German Army, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Berlin-Charlottenburg, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a certain new or Improved Buckle, of which the following is a speci lication, reference being had to the drawings hereunto anneXed, and to the letters marked thereon-that is to say:

The invention relates to a device for tightening the girth straps or bands of horses saddles and for like purposes in which a hinged buckle secured to the saddle and acting after the manner of a lever' is used as the tightening means. Tightening devices of this character are already well known, but they are more or less complicated and attended with considerable disadvantages, among which may be mentioned that the strap which is furnished with special attachments is liable to become easily unfastened when the tightening device is moved and that only narrow limits of adjustment (two holes or degrees at the most) have been obtained.

This invention consists of a particularly simple and reliable device wherein the strap which is fastened to or hooked upon the fixed tongues or prongs of the buckle by means of the usual holes or eyelets also remains securely attached to the buckle when the latter is turned down or opened and wherein the tightening or loosening of the strap or band is effected in the simplest manner by selecting another hole in the strapwthat is to say, without the necessity for several divisions or eyelets on the buckle itself.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a saddle having' the present invention applied thereto and showing the buckle in its fastened position. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. l, showing the same in its open or unfastened position. Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2. Fig. I is a front view of the fastening-buckle separately, and Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate modifications of the above device.

In the several figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.

The fastening device or buckle 7c, which is secured upon the side iiap or skirt p of the saddle s by means of hinges t, is constructed substantially according to the shape of the letter U and is provided with a bar m across its middle, or thereabout,thus forming a closed frame a', and said cross-bar m is furnished with preferably two rigid tongues or prongs n.. Said prongsor tongues are adapted to receive the strap fr, which is provided in the usual way with a series of holes o for the purpose of loosening or tightening the girth-band g, and, as shown in Fig. l, the strap i' is brought under the bar m against the side iiap or skirt p. In this way the tension of the band g always acts so that it presses the buckle 7c inward against the side flap or skirt or the body of the horse. It is therefore the tension of the band g which by this system always secures the buckle in its closed or fastened position, while in the open position of the buckle (illustrated in Fig. 2) the strap /1' remains securely held even when the other end of the belt is released.

In the example given in Fig. 5 a broad tongue ai' is employed instead of the prong a, and instead of a leather strap r an open-link chain 1"' is provided, which admits of the same being simply hooked onto and unhooked from the tightening-buckle 7c.

In the example given at Fig. 6 is illustrated a device applicable to a double band. In this case two single buckles r' k2 are p'ivotally joined together by their inner arms and at their outer arms provided with hinges lt le? and furnished with frames z" 2, and each buckle is displaceable independently of the other. In this manner either girth-band may be tightcned or loosened, as required, or both may be released or tightened together.

It will be obvious that this device owing to its simplicity and eficiency may be used for various purposesas, for instance, fastening trunks, parcels, and the like.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim isl. A buckle adapted to be folded backwardly to tighten a strap or the like, having at a plurality of points means for movably attaching it to a support, and having between such means a space for the strap so that the latter may lie between the attaching-points of the buckle and act to hold the buckle in its folded position and means arranged above said points adapted for engagement with a strap or the like.

2. A buckle having two legs which are adapted to be connected at their lower ends to a support, and between such ends a space for a strap, and means for engaging such strap arranged above such ends.

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3. A buckle having two legs which are adapted to be connected at their lower ends to a support, and between such ends a space for a strap, and a bar having projections for engaging such strap arranged above such ends.

4. A buckle, comprising two members rotatively connected, each of said members having a means for movably attaching it to a support, and having between such means and its point of connection with the other of said members a space for the strap, so that the latter may lie inwardly of said attaching means when the buckle is folded.

5. The combination of a strap, abucklehaving means for engaging said strap, and means for rotatively supporting said buckle, and having a space between such means adapted to permit said strap to pass inwardlyv between them, so that said strap does not tend to move said buckle from its folded position.

6. The combination of a saddle, a girth connected thereto, and a buckle carried by said saddle and adapted to engage said girth, said buckle having two legs, the ends of which are rotatively connected to said saddle and having a space between such ends adapted to receive the end of the girth, said buckle being adapted to be moved from a depending position to an upright position to tighten said girth, and said girth lying inwardly of the buckle ends and acting to hold said buckle in its folded position.

HORST KALAU VOM HOFE. lNitnesses:

HENRY HASPER, WILLIAM MAYNER. 

